Seijang gives their side of the story
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, May 03, 2013:
Encroachment and cultivation on the hill slopes in spite of repeated reminders not to encroach upon the land of Seijang resulted in today's untoward incident, said Seijang Development Committee (SDC).
Speaking to media persons at Napetpalli tonight, SDC secretary Waikhom Ibomcha said that some of them went to the spot where the boundaries of Seijang Sailent were demarcated this morning.
What was seen there anguished all the people and some of them went out of control resulting in the unfortunate incident.
"All the houses attacked by our villagers were those built on encroached land, others were not touched and no person was assaulted", Ibomcha said.
He further asserted that the headman of Silent village should be held responsible for today's incident.
Seijang village has its well-defined boundaries.
Likewise, Silent village has its own land as large as 500 paris.
In addition, an order of the Manipur State Durbar issued in 1946-47 gave permission to the Seijang village to collect firewood from the particular area.
Since then, Seijang villagers have been collecting firewood from the particular area.
Sailent village came into being only in 1974. Sailent village Khullakpa filed an injunction case against some villagers of Seijang on the charge of demolition of some houses in 2009. The case was fought in Court and Seijang village won it, said Ibomcha.
Another order of the Court allowed Seijang villagers to assess the disputed area whereas Sailent villagers have been prohibited.
In March this year, some elders of Seijang went to Sailent village and asked them not to encroach or cultivate crops in the disputed area with a proposal for peaceful co-existence.
However, there was no let up in construction of houses in the disputed area, Ibomcha said.
"So far, Seijang has not done anything wrong.
It was the excesses and obduracy of Sailent which resulted in today's untoward incident", said the SDC secretary.
Around 30 households of Sailent were expelled from the village by burning their houses in 1980-81 because those families were not favourable to the village headman.
Those expelled families have settled at Yaingangpokpi.